Dark World
by Fightingchance
Summary: What if Korra lost to Una-Vaatu and he replaced her as the Avatar? Fifty years into the era of darkness Dark Spirits torment the survivors by ripping souls from bodies and leaving them trapped in the Spirit World. The world is in desperate need of heroes, but when nothing is as it seems, trust is everything...
1. The Survivors

**Welcome everyone to my new story. This is a re-write of my original one and basically the same story, only better! Thanks for reading. OC submission at the end!**

**~ Fightingchance ~**

**CHACHACHA**

_Fire. Air. Water. Earth. In the old days the Avatar was a force of good, but seventy years ago a man by the name of Unalaq freed Vaatu, the spirit of chaos, and the two merged together. They killed Korra, replaced her as the Avatar and ushered in an era of darkness. Since then the Dark Avatar has been reborn and evil continues to reign. A group known as The Dawning formed in order to combat the darkness, but they have forgot their mission and now live in hiding just trying to survive. Dark Spirits run rampart tearing peoples' souls from their bodies and leaving them to wander lost in the Spirit World. Some of The Dawning's Air Benders, descendants of Aang, make it their job to find these lost souls, but the time for passiveness is over, now it's time to fight._

**CHACHACHA**

"I hate this," Yara announces miserably kicking up dust on the cracked ground. "I could be doing something useful, but noooo instead I'm scavenging for plants."

Creo fixes the bandanna wrapped around his nose and mouth idly. "We need those plants, they're medicinal and we're running low," he reminds her. "I know this isn't exactly your usual job, but it's important we should take caring of living first-"

"Don't!" she hisses before lowering her voice. "Don't lecture me about that."

He sighs. "Maybe Gran thought you needed a break," he remedies. "How many times have you been in the Spirit World this past week anyway?"

"Does it matter?" she growls. "We have a cave full of bodies whose souls or whatever have been ripped out by evil spirits. What am I supposed to do abandon them?"

"I'm not saying you should stop looking, but you're killing yourself, Yara." He hadn't meant to get all heavy, but someone needed to say it. "You don't sleep and you barely even eat anymore. Everyone is worried about you."

She snorts. "You all can worry when the world is right again! Sorry if I'd rather be looking for lost souls than looking for plants in a barren wasteland where everything withered up and died long before either of us were ever born. If we're going to call ourselves _The Dawning _then we should be fighting Vaatu and actually trying to end the darkness, not sitting on our butts while dark spirits pick us off one by one!"

"This is what I'm talking about!" Creo argues. "Constantly going to the Spirit World is making you crazy." He pauses. "Besides you know what the Elder would say about the fighting."

She looks up at him and raises an eyebrow. His lips twitch as he tries to hide a grin. "What?" she asks finally.

"_Well," _he gripes in a mocking imitation of an Elder. "We must bide our time and attack when the time is right. To win, we must-"

"-simply survive. Yeah, yeah, yeah." She finishes for him and forces a laugh. "Let's go chase our tails like good little young ones then."

She starts walking away, still sulking. He watches her go disappointed he'd only managed to make her mood worse. Clearly he isn't as good a brother as he'd like to believe. "Wait Yara, I think I found something."

Glancing over her shoulder she finds him on his knees studying the ground. "What is it?" she asks jogging over so she can have a look.

He moves suddenly and without mercy throws a fistful of dirt in her face. She blinks in surprise, the new layer of grim sticks to her skin and he bursts out laughing. Still stoic she rubs the dirt out of her eyes. Then, she tackles him casting a cloud of dust into the air.

They wrestle in the dust for a moment, until Creo finally puts his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright I give!" he laughs in between the fistfuls of dirt getting thrown in his face.

She shakes her head as she gets off of him, but at least she's smiling for real now. "Mom's going to be furious-" she starts and then the words suddenly get caught in her throat. "Oh no."

"What? Yara what is it?" He follows her line of sight. There on the side of the road, partially covered by dead-looking bushes is a person lying face down in the muck. "Is that a-?"

Yara is already scrambling towards the figure. "Help me pull him onto the road," she orders.

They each take an arm and drag him to where they can flip him over. By the looks of his face he can't be older than fourteen. Yara presses a finger to the boy's neck. "Is he-" Creo trails.

"No. He's not dead, but his spirit's been ripped out. Recently, I think. I should be able to find him if… here, hold this." She shoves her bag into his arms and drops cross legged to the ground.

"I don't think that's such a good-" She's already meditated into the Spirit World, though; he's never fast enough to get a word in edgewise around her. So he hunkers down beside her defeated and rests his head on his hand. "I really hate you sometimes."

**CHACHACHA**

The Spirit World is vastly different from the dusty wasteland she'd left behind. A forest of gargantuan trees with pink bark grow so tall Yara can't even see the tops, but they look sick somehow and it's dark here which makes everything look gray. The sound of a cough suddenly echoes throughout the trees and she takes off running.

"Help," a voice moans hoarsely.

She ducks behind the trunk of one of the trees as she nears the sound. Contrary to what everyone believes she is careful. The trunk is slimy and she recoils away the instant after she'd pressed her back against it. She makes a face then regains her composure and glances out from behind her hiding spot. There's a spirit stumbling about that looks just like the boy who's body she'd found on the road. As far as she can tell there's no sign of the weird purplish aura that dark spirits have, so she steps out into the open.

He staggers away from her, his eyes wide and completely panicked. "It' alright," she soothes putting her hands up in a placating gesture. "I'm here to help. My name's Yara. What's yours?"

"A-Aku," the boy stammers.

Yara takes a step closer. He takes a step back. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" she says offering him her hand.

The boy stares at her hand, then up at her face, unsure if he should trust her or not. The poor thing is absolutely terrified, but the Spirit World does that people so she isn't surprised. She takes a step towards him again, this time he doesn't move. She slowly walks a couple more paces closer. An earsplitting wail suddenly shakes the giant trees down to their roots. Aku loses his resolve and turns to flee. Yara jumps forward and grabs his arm. "Let go of me!" he yelps.

She ignores him and tows him along with her, following the invisible line that pulls her towards her body. He fights like a wild animal, but her grip is too strong. She wrestles him back into his body first and then returns to her own.

**CHACHACHA **

Aku chokes on the air as he wakes up and Creo pounds him on the back good naturedly. "Welcome back to the world of the living, kid," he says as he stands up and dusts himself off.

Yara opens her eyes slowly. Creo helps her to her feet and pulls her into a hug. For once she allows him to be the one to let go first. Though she hates to realize it, she's far more tired than she cares to admit. She turns her attention to Aku. "We should head back, you look like you could use a meal and a bed. Oh yeah, Creo this Aku. Aku this is Creo." With that she starts walking towards the camp.

The boy blinks then gets shakily to his feet to follow. A sudden _shrieeeeeek _slices through the air making them all jump. "Yara!" Creo calls but, she's already beside him.

Creo and Yara stand with Aku between them. Everything goes quiet and they can hear their heartbeats. This is the calm before the storm. As if reality itself has comes undone the air _pops _as the spirit moves between worlds. It's a mass of feathers, a giant bird with talons grown out so far they whip around like tentacles.

"There's a forest maybe four hundred meters to the left," Creo says calmly. "The spirit is big enough it shouldn't be able to fit, we'll hunker down there and wait it out. We're going to need a distraction first though. Can you do anything useful kid?"

"Fire," the boy croaks.

"Okay, good, that's good," Creo breathes. "Ready some fireworks then. Yara try to blow it away a bit. Then we all run, fast."

"Tell us when," Yara tells him.

The spirit catches sight of them. "Now!" Creo orders.

She bends a blast of air at the creature, but it barely gets knocked off course at all. Aku's fire manages to confuse it if only a little and they take off sprinting. The boy falls behind fast and Yara slows down to help him. She tries to send a few more blasts of air at the spirit, but it's surprisingly agile for its size. She hadn't realized she'd stopped running until, "YARA!" Creo yells at her.

It's too late, though, the spirit bears down on her. Her scream is cut off as it slams into her. As it flies away her body falls limp to the ground. Creo runs over to her and pulls her into his arms. Aku comes up behind him. "You-you can go after her, right?"

"No, I can't." There'd only been one other time when Creo had felt so despairingly useless because of his inability to enter the Spirit World, his heart clenches at the memory. What had happened… it wouldn't happen to Yara. "We need to go. There are people back at camp who can help."

**CHACHACHA**

**I know that was long, but I hope it was worth it. Now for the fun part, SUBMIT YOUR OC'S!**

**Please submit your OC's via PM **_**NOT**_** review. **

**All characters will be included, but the ones I like will get the biggest parts!**

**HINTS**

**Give your characters FLAWS, this makes them more believable (and fun)!**

**I need VILLIANS!**

**Be original**

**Have fun and put in some time!**

**SUBMISSION FORM**

**Name: **

**Age: **

**Gender: **

**Race (either human or spirit)**

**Brief Physical Description (Hair Color/Style, eye color, skin color, height, build, etc.): **

**Bender?: **

**Personality:**

**Biography: **

**Fairly simply. Thanks to everyone who participates!**


	2. Fear Itself

**Hello all! I would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit an OC. I never expected to get so many! I hope you enjoy my story. **

**~Fightingchance~ **

**CHACHACHA**

Kira steps out into the frigid air of what once home to the Northern Water Tribe, but has since become the Dark Avatar's stronghold. Kota, her brother, is standing in the middle of the street barking orders at the underlings and looking more than pleased with himself. Her stomach turns sour, nothing good can come of him being this happy. She takes in a deep breath and goes to greet him.

"Hello brother," she offers timidly. "What's going on here?"

He looks down at her as if being subject to her very presence is below him, but he can't resist the change to brag. "A thief was caught trying to steal our supplies, but of course I apprehended him," he tells her before adding spitefully, "it does not concern you."

_Just one? Seems like a lot of trouble over one person, s_he wants to say, just to patronize him, but holds her tongue. He walks away from her before she can say anything anyway. The large palace gates suddenly open just big enough for the Dark Avatar to stride out of. A fearful stillness falls over the crowd as he looks over his subjects. Kota immediately kneels and though Kira wishes she had the gall to outwardly defy the Avatar she kneels too, as does everyone else in the vicinity.

The Avatar's current reincarnation is barely eighteen years old and has all the muscles of an earth bender, but the severity and cruelness always present in eyes overshadows anything that might have made him attractive. In truth, Kira wants to disappear back inside her house at the sight of him.

"Is there a reason you have all gathered outside my Palace?" the Avatar booms.

Of course it's Kota who speaks first. "I apologize for the uproar, Avatar, and it is a trivial matter, the thief was captured, nothing more."

"I will decide what is worth my time or not, _boy." _The Avatar hisses calmly and Kota blanches as if he'd been slapped physically not just with words. "Bring the prisoner forward!"

The thief is a young man older than Kira, but about the same age as Kota. His hair is short and messy, but even held by two thugs he seems genuinely unconcerned about everything. The man smirks as if he finds the whole situation funny. "My goal was simply to humbly spread chaos, Avatar, isn't that what you wanted?" No one says a word. "Well, apparently not. You know I'm just not sure how dedicated you are to bringing darkness and chaos to the world."

Kira can see the subtle hints that the Avatar is furious, there's just the slightest clench of a jaw. She wishes the idiot hadn't said that. "Do not speak to the Avatar that way!" Kota snarls and slaps the man's face so hard his head snaps back.

"Enough!" The Avatar orders. "If you cannot control your temper than remove yourself."

Kota bows apologetically. "Of course Avatar." He doesn't leave completely, though, he just goes to watch from the edges and nurse him injured pride.

"And you!" The Avatar says turning his attention back on the prisoner. "What is your name?"

That smirk returns to the man's face. "Li Xin."

"Well then, take Li Xin to the dungeons so he can be around to see what he inspired," the Avatar says darkly.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew just to impress me-"

"Get him out of my sight!" The Avatar roars.

Kira watches as they drag Li Xin away. He'd made enemies of both her brother and the Dark Avatar, but there's no doubt his time is running out. She's going to have work fast if she's going to save this one.

**CHACHACHA**

Pain shoots up Yara's arm as she peels herself off the ground. She moans, it's worse than anything she's ever felt before. She'd managed to wrestle free from the dark spirit's tentacle-like talons only to fall from a lethal height and crash into the ground. She's counting herself lucky, though, if she'd been in her body she'd be dead.

She looks around where she'd landed. The canopy of leaves overhead is so thick that no light can shine through, the only light is emitted by the eerie fruit which flow a dark orange.

The pain of getting to her feet makes her eyes water. She leans heavily against on the trunks holding her ribs then grinds her teeth and takes a step forward. She almost falls back to the ground. The invisible line that connects her to her body isn't there anymore, it's been severed somehow. She's going to have to wait until someone finds her. That isn't a very encouraging since most of the trips she's made looking for lost spirits weren't successful and then there's what happened to Don-Lee... She shakes the negative thoughts out of her head, she can handle this.

"Company?" She jumps at the sound.

The voice is shrill and squeaky and sets her nerves on edge. Fear squeezes at her heart so violently it makes her muscles twitch. She digs her nails into her palms. This place is just messing with her head. No big deal. She starts trembling despite herself.

"Company?" the little voice squeaks again.

Yara stays quiet willing her heartbeat to slow. "Food?" another of the voices answers.

More voices start up until there seem to be hundreds crying over each other. "Company?"

"Food."

The buzz of insect wings fills the forest. Then the first one latches on her arm and bites. "Food."

"Food? Food."

"Food."

More of the bugs start covering her skin and biting. She smacks at them, but any shred of bravado she had dissolves. She takes off in blind panic.

**CHACHACHA**

Both Aku and Creo are silent during the entire trek back to camp. More than a couple of times the boy had tripped and Creo had thought the kid was going to collapse in exhaustion but, somehow he'd always gotten back up. Yara remains a dead weight in his arms, he keeps hoping that she'll suddenly move; she never does. She must not be able to find her way back but, at least she's still alive. He'd checked again.

The kid stumbles over himself again. "Camp is just around that corner," Creo promises, breathing heavily, "just a little further okay?"

Aku doesn't answer. Sentries had spotted them and race out, which is a relief. They stop short when they realize it's Yara in Creo's arms.

"What happened?" someone asks but, Creo's beyond answering.

"Get Gran," he says quietly and one of the sentries rushes off.

The rest of the way goes by in a blur but, even once inside the camp Creo refuses to relinquish his sister's body to anyone else despite the never ending stream of voices telling him that he needs to sit down. Aku, however, does allow himself to be led off.

Gran is waiting outside her cave as he approaches. Her wrinkled face is set deep with worry and sadness, though it's always been that way. He follows her into the gloom. Most people stay away from this place, Creo included but, not Yara He forces himself to look straight ahead and not at any of the makeshift beds on the floor. It doesn't do him any good, though, he knows what's there. Aligned in neat rows are all the bodies belonging to the spirits lost in the Spirit World.

"Lay her down here," Gran orders as they come to an empty bed.

Creo does as she asks. The old woman already looks so tired from a day of searching but, she sits down and lays a gentle hand on Yara's forehead and then exhales deeply as her own spirit disappears into the Spirit World.

No one says so but, Creo knows there isn't much of a chance of finding Yara anytime soon. This is what hopelessness feels like. His mother races in then; she's always been such a quiet woman and when Creo looks up there's no trace of tears in her eyes, just grim determination.

**CHACHACHA**

Despite being a spirit the bugs had left nasty bites on her skin. What part of her had been spared the biting was now scratched raw from her headlong crash through the trees. The bugs had stopped their assault after a while but, every time she'd stopped to catch her breath something sends her off running again and again and again. She _knows _she should stay in one place so someone could find her but, she just _can't. _

She's been running forever. Exhaustion has begun to replace the fear and slow her down. She stops again. Every breath is agony against the ribs she'd injured in her fall. How long until she collapses in fatigue? A twig snaps. She takes off again, everything else forgotten.

Yara makes it maybe twenty feet before her legs give out and send her sprawling. She scrambles to turn and face the offender. She doesn't have the strength to flee which means she doesn't have the strength to fight either. Another wave of panic sweeps over her, she's finished.

It looks human to her decked out in black and dark-green clothing with a scarf tied around it's face so only a little bit of skin around the green eyes is visible. It studies her curiously, unsure what to make of her. Yara doesn't know what to make of it either. "Hello," it-_he_ offers awkwardly, there's nothing obviously threatening in the tone.

"Hi," she says back warily.

She struggles her feet the adrenaline had worn off and now winces as the rugged pain from her fall demands her attention. He takes a step towards her. "Are you hurt?"

"Fine," she hisses glaring at him like he might bite her.

He takes another step towards her, she clenches her fists. "It's alright," he assures her and offers his hand.

It's like she's looking back on her encounter with Aku but, through Aku's eyes. If he really is trying to help her she'll seem like a scared half-wit if she doesn't take his hand but, what if he isn't just being nice? Then again, if he means her harm she's toast anyway. She takes his hand. He gently pulls her arm around his neck so she can lean on him for support. "I'm Yara, by the way," she says, trying to sound friendly.

"Burke," he tells her.


End file.
